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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30001884">Nothing To Do But Burn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/damdemiwitch/pseuds/damdemiwitch'>damdemiwitch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Pepper Potts, F/M, How Do I Tag, Pepper Potts Feels, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Pepper Potts has PTSD, Pepper Potts is Pepper from Good Omens, Temporary Amnesia, There's like no dialogue in this, There's two endings because I felt bad, Two Endings, no beta we die like thanos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:55:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30001884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/damdemiwitch/pseuds/damdemiwitch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a sword in her closet. This much she knows.</p><p>(Pepper Potts is Pepper from Good Omens but she has a bit of a memory problem)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pepper &amp; Adam Young (Good Omens), Pepper Potts &amp; Natasha Romanov, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/110342">Twigs &amp; Twine</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/samjohnsson/pseuds/samjohnsson">samjohnsson</a>.
        </li>
        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/110342">Twigs &amp; Twine</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/samjohnsson/pseuds/samjohnsson">samjohnsson</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have been working on this forever but it's finally done. Finally. It's very interesting in that I don't actually mention the name of the main character until the 1,006th word. It's also shorter than I thought. There's also a bunch of quotes. See if you can spot them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There is a sword in her closet. This much she knows. She vaguely remembers bringing it to the U.S. from England, where she used to live. Occasionally, when she touches it to move it aside, she feels like there's something she's forgetting. But when she lets go of it, the feeling is gone. There are other times she gets that feeling. Like when she goes to a gala, sometimes she gets a glimpse of flaming red hair and a white smile and the feeling appears. But then someone calls her name, and when she looks away the feeling is gone. </p><p>She is sometimes asked about her childhood. She'd tell them "I was born and raised in England until I was about twelve." And then she'd go to tell them about her three best friends named... And then she'd trail off because what was she saying? Oh, my best friends' names. I can't quite remember. </p><p>Some days, when she's feeling spacey like she's forgetting something, she goes into her room and stares at the sword. Sometimes she'd pick it up. On these days, she'd keep a notebook next to her for when she remembers something. The notebook is mostly empty. These are the days she remembers the most and works the least. </p><p>She can’t help but be wary of Obadiah Stane. He hasn’t done anything to warrant her suspicion. He just sets off every internal alarm she has. She’s suspicious and uneasy and it turns out she has every right to be.</p><p>Tony gets captured.</p><p>During the time he’s missing, she keeps her suspicions and secrets close to her chest. She can’t do anything but watch and wait and search. She keeps herself quiet, careful, cautious, and on Obadiah’s good side. She quietly leads the company in Tony’s absence, letting Obadiah be the figurehead while she stands silently in the background, watching and waiting and working and searching.</p><p>Tony crashes down in the desert in a blaze of fire and heat, reminding her of a woman who went up in flames.</p><p>He tells her about Ho Yinsen. About how he saved his life and gave his own. <em>A life for a life</em>, she thinks. <em>The trade was worth it</em> and she immediately feels bad for thinking that.</p><p>She's suspicious of Tony's new assistant, Natalie Rushman. She tells herself that plenty of people have red hair and red lips and a white smile and move like a cat and fight like a god. She tells herself all of this and believes none of it. She writes this down in her notebook. </p><p>She was right to be suspicious of Natalie Rushman. Suspicious of her red hair and red lips and a white smile who moves like a cat and fights like a god. She was not who she said she was. From then on, she trusts her instincts more and Natalie Rushman less. </p><p>These spacey days become more frequent after the Battle of Manhattan. Aliens and gods and wormholes and portals all remind her of something. Sort of apocalyptic.</p><p>Late at night, Tony confesses to her what he saw in the Wormhole. She believes him. </p><p>Even after the Avengers move in, she still does not fully trust Natasha Romanoff (Natalia Alianovna Romanova [see section "aliases"], date of birth unknown, parents unknown, suspected to be related to the late Romanov dynasty, unproven, recruited when Hawkeye [see later pages] was sent to assassinate her). Although, she doesn't fully trust any of the team. She just trusts Natasha less because... because... (a flaming sword and red boots and a sword made of twigs and twine).</p><p>After Tony comes back from the Mandarin debacle, he tells her all about Harley.</p><p>"Describe him for me," she says.</p><p>He does. He tells her about his blond hair and his blue eyes and how brilliant and chatty he is. This description reminds her of something and she quickly tells J.A.R.V.I.S. to please jot that down and remind her when she has her notebook with her. Oh, and also? Please add it to her folder titled "Memories". Tony looks slightly confused at this but she doesn't care. She remembers a name: Adam.</p><p>The next day, she goes over her notebook multiple times, connecting dots and starting to draw a picture with those dots. </p><p>Ultron happens. She doesn't blame Tony. She knows that he didn't mean for it to happen. She doesn't have time to blame him, not with the PR mess. And because this whole apocalyptic mess seems familiar. She doesn't fully trust Wanda Maximoff. She doesn't know why. What she does know, is that her opinion of the Avengers goes down. You don't turn against your teammate, even if they make mistakes. (Even if they nearly go evil).</p><p>After Ultron, Tony cries on her shoulder because J.A.R.V.I.S. and Bruce and <em>everything.</em> </p><p>The Accords are fought over. She does not fully agree with the accords, but they can always be crossed out. ("I don't see why it matters what is written. Not when it's about people. It can always be crossed out." She writes this down) The Accords can always be revised. What she does not agree with, is Tony's decision to bring Spider-Man in. He is still a child. Then she remembers the sword in her closet. </p><p>Natasha switches sides. She knew she didn't trust her. She reminded her too much of someone else with red hair and red lips and a white smile. </p><p>Tony and her get engaged. They were talking about his dream about children when a donut shaped ship descends from the sky. </p><p>Soon, people are turning to dust. There is dust everywhere and fire everywhere and destruction and death and—</p><p>The Avengers come back without him. Only the original Avengers are left. They say they didn't see Tony on the battlefield in Wakanda with them. She doesn’t feel as horrified as she thinks she should. She keeps this to herself.</p><p>Carol Danvers comes. She blazes in like a falling angel. Pepper would know. (How would she know?)</p><p>After roughly twenty-two days, Tony is brought home along with a blue alien named Nebula. He tells her that Peter turned to dust in his arms and everyone there turned to dust except he and Nebula. </p><p>During all of this, she read her notebook and stared at the sword and connected the dots some more. Something was coming. She could feel it. <em>Wait.</em> </p><p>She waits.</p><p>Her and Tony get married. They don't want to have a child yet. First, she waits. Something is coming. Soon. Not yet. </p><p>A year passes before she fills up her notebook. She figures out that before she moved to the U.S., something had happened. Something apocalyptic. It had involved her, Adam, two other boys, and a dog. Brian and Wensleydale and Dog, she thinks. There were two men. One with light clothes, the other with dark. There was a witch and a man. They were dating. There was a woman with red hair and red lips and a white smile who moves like a cat and fights like a god. There were others, but she can't remember them quite as well. There was a flaming sword and a sword made of twigs and twine. And soon after, she moved to the U.S.  </p><p>That is what she knows. She does not yet know why she moved or what caused the apocalyptic event or who the woman is with red hair and red lips and a white smile, who moves like a cat and fights like a god. She does not know why there was a flaming sword or why the dog was named Dog. But she knows some information, and Pepper has done more with less.</p><p>Another thing she knows: She is done waiting. She has information and a wooden sword and both are just as sharp and just as deadly as her wit and Tony's weapons. </p><p>She packs her bags and drags Tony along with her back to the Compound. The Compound has the better tech and the better resources. She tells him that she is done waiting and having nothing to do. The Avengers may have lost, but it is not yet over. ("If we can't protect the Earth, you can be dang well sure we'll avenge it")</p><p>The Avengers ask why they are there. She ignores them. She has a mission and a goal and information to go on. This is what she does. This is what she is good at. </p><p>The first thing she does is compile a list of allies and the contact information for them. Strength in numbers, after all.</p><p>The second thing she does is work to get the countries and nations back on their feet. The world was thrown into chaos after many political leaders were Snapped. This makes her many friends and allies.</p><p>The third thing she does is research. She pries Rocket and Thor and Nebula and the Asgardians for as much information as they have. </p><p>The Avengers become impatient and curious. They gather in the common area and wait for her to come in. When she walks in, they shoot their questions at her.</p><p>She sighs and seats herself down on one of the couches.</p><p>The first one to ask her a question was Steve. “Why did you come back to the compound? Why now?”</p><p>She thinks for a moment before replying, almost ruefully. “I’ve never really been good at waiting.”</p><p>Natasha next. “Why did you bring a wooden sword with you? Why do you <em>have</em> a sword?”</p><p>She smiled softly. “It has… sentimental value.” She wonders if a sword made by the Antichrist could kill the Mad Titan.</p><p>Thor asks a question that has everyone turning to stare at her. “Lady Pepper, you never answered. Why did you need all of that information on Thanos and the Infinity Stones?”</p><p>She bares her teeth at him in a semblance of a smile. “Research. ‘To defeat an enemy, you must know them. Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art.’<sup>[1]</sup>”</p><p>They stared at her for a moment and then resumed their questioning. </p><p>But she had taken a long enough break. She still had work to do. There was a War coming, after all.</p><p> </p><p>With all her affairs in order, she takes the time to train. She commissions Tony to make a sword identical to her wooden sword, only sized to fit her as an adult and made out of a more dangerous material. The team catches her training one day. They stop in the doorway, but she sees them out of the corner of her eye. She allows<sup>[2]</sup> them a few more minutes of watching her before she stops and turns to them. They stare at her as she waits expectantly for them to begin talking.[2] Natasha approaches first. She takes a moment to look at the way Pepper is holding the sword in a loose grip, and the way her feet are positioned.<sup>[3]</sup></p><p>"I don’t recognize the style."</p><p>"You wouldn't," Pepper says lightly. "It isn't a style. I picked it up from observing some people."</p><p>Natasha's eyes narrow. "You don't get that good by just watching. You have experience."</p><p>"I wouldn't call it 'experience.' I'd say it came from a few minutes of reckless bravery and desperation." Pepper knew this dance. She had been through enough meetings with politicians and businessmen to know this dance. She and Obadiah had done this dance often enough for her to perform it perfectly.</p><p>(This was her own, non-violent version of War. This was her weapon and she had perfected it, <em>decimating</em> entire armies with it.)</p><p>She doesn't know what will happen during the fight with Thanos. She doesn't know if they will win or lose but this has become a War, and, well, she's always been a natural at those. </p><p> </p><p>She isn't getting much sleep these days. She tries, but when she closes her eyes, all she can see is the news channel that was on when people were turning to dust. All she can hear is screeching metal from outside as bus drivers and pilots disintegrate and vehicles collide. Screeching metal like a sword too big for a child’s hands and too old for a child’s hands. Behind that screeching metal, she can hear an ancient voice, taunting her, telling her to go home and play with her dolls. All she can smell is burning flesh and burning hair. All she can feel is rough wood in her grip, switching between metal and wood. And flames and heat so close and so hot it burns and kills and she can hear the woman’s screams as she burns and burns and burns. Her screams sound like the popping of gunfire and the clanging of swords and the thudding of arrows and the boom of bombs.</p><p>And when she wakes up, she is unable to fall back asleep.</p><p>So she takes a deep breath and gets back to work.</p><p>It sometimes seems like her work is never-ending. She doesn’t mind it. It keeps her mind busy so her thoughts don’t stray into darker territory. (Red hair, red lips, white smile, moves like a cat, and fights like a god.)</p><p> </p><p>Time passes and she’s not quite sure what to do next. They’re not prepared for a fight yet, but what else is there to do?</p><p>Allies? Check.<br/>
Governments on track to recovery? Check.<br/>
Research? Check.<br/>
Backup plans?<br/>
Contingencies?</p><p>No.</p><p>She forgot to plan for all possible contingencies.</p><p>She thinks about this during those nights where the flames fill her mind.</p><p>She debates on whether to call Aziraphale and Crowley or not. She decides against it.<sup>[4]</sup> They had already stopped one apocalypse and she doesn’t want to cause Heaven and Hell’s attention to turn back to them. If they lose again, then she’ll call them. Besides, she doesn’t even know if they survived the Snap.<sup>[5]</sup></p><p>Yes, she decides. That will be Contingency Plan #1.</p><p>But meanwhile…</p><p>Pepper grins. It’s a foreign, yet familiar look on her. A more dangerous, bloodthirsty version of the one she uses on contrary, bigoted businessmen and people who get a bit too close to her.</p><p> </p><p>She prays.</p><p>She does not pray to the G-d of the Christians, or the Jews, or the Muslims, or any of the multitudes of other religions that exist.</p><p>She prays to the being that she fought against many years ago, when she was twelve years old.</p><p>The same being who she could always see at the edge of her vision, waiting.</p><p>She grabs a splinter from her wooden sword and locks herself in her office.</p><p>She closes all the blinds and sits at her desk.</p><p>She lays the splinter in front of her.</p><p>She feels a bit foolish, doing this. She had stabbed the being all those years ago, and now she was praying to her and offering up a splinter?</p><p>She stares at the piece of wood and begins to speak.</p><p>“I defeated you all those years ago. You must remember, it was probably a very noteworthy moment in your life. I think it might have traumatized me. But listen. A War is coming. That’s your specialty, right? War. We’ll be fighting a being named Thanos. But you probably already know that. I bet you know of him. He killed five <em>trillion</em> souls— fifty percent of all life. You know what that means for you? Less opportunities for War and fighting. You <em>want</em> more War and fighting. So you’re going to help us. Maybe not directly, but make sure we win and those five <em>trillion</em> souls are restored. And if you don’t,” Pepper bared her teeth  “I’ll kill you again. But this time it will be slow and painful. Do you understand?”</p><p>The splinter blinked out of existence.</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>. . . </p><p>It was time.</p><p>They knew where Thanos was and they were all prepared.</p><p>Pepper tucked the child-size “toy” sword into the scabbard Tony made for her. He had given her a questioning look when she requested a small scabbard, but he made it so that it rested alongside the sword he created for her.</p><p>They were doing their last checks, making sure they had everything and everyone. They decide Pepper would be the one to signal to start the fight. She was aerial, after all.</p><p>And then they get in the spaceship and <em>oh—</em></p><p>She never expected to actually <em>go</em> to space. But there she was, strapping herself into a spaceship, <em>on her way to space.</em></p><p>She just wishes it was under better circumstances.</p><p>Rocket, Nebula, Tony, and Carol were in the front, working on getting the ship aloft and flying. Tony and Rocket hurried to the engine, while Carol and Nebula brought the ship into flight.</p><p>“We’re all set back here!” Tony called over.</p><p>“Same here,” Carol shouted back. “Is everyone set?”</p><p>The passengers all gave the affirmative.</p><p>“Good.” Carol started flipping switches and pressing buttons. “We break through the atmosphere in 3… 2… 1…” </p><p>The view outside the windows darkened. They had exited Earth’s atmosphere and were now in space.</p><p>They fly towards Titan.</p><p>. . .</p><p>Pepper marches into battle in a suit of armor with two swords strapped at her waist.</p><p>She feels a bit like a kid again, even as she moves through the desolate landscape of Titan.</p><p>Even as she and the others stare down the Mad Titan.</p><p>The being who obliterated half of all life stands before her and she feels a familiar rush of fire and rage and bloodthirst.</p><p>But no.</p><p>
  <em>Wait for it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wait for the signal, little girl. Wait.</em>
</p><p>A pause.</p><p>
  <em>Go.</em>
</p><p>Pepper clicks a button on her glove, and everyone <em>fights.</em></p><p>She launches into the air and scans the battlefield, looking for the gauntlet. She sees it trading hands, dodging various enemies.</p><p>It lands in Tony’s hands and she can see him about to snap.</p><p>“Stark!” Rocket yelled. “Grab my hand. You can’t take all that energy without it destroying you! Let us help.”</p><p>He does.</p><p>They all link hands and Pepper finds herself praying again.</p><p><em>You’ve been there throughout my life.</em> She thinks. <em>I know you have. Out of the corner of my eye and whispering in my ear. Please. Allow us this victory.</em> She feels the weight of the wooden sword disappear from her side.</p><p>She sees Tony bring his fingers together to snap.</p><p>. . .</p><p>
  <em>Please. Bring everybody back. Kill Thanos. Let everything go back to normal.</em>
</p><p>He snaps.</p><p>. . .</p><p>Pepper feels her mind shift. Why does she have a sword? But something else catches her attention and she looks around. Slowly and mesmerizingly, the dust and ash of the battlefield swirls together and forms people.</p><p>Peter, Starlord, Drax, <em>everybody.</em></p><p>They’re back.</p><p>. . .</p><p>They go home.</p><p>There is a sword in her closet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>She starts over.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not so happy with this version of the ending, but I also realized that some people may not like the previous ambiguous ending. Hope you enjoy!</p><p>Remember to like and review! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She starts over.</p><p>She finds that remembering isn’t an exact science and she still has that familiar feeling of <em>what am I forgetting and how did I forget it.</em></p><p>So she makes a list of what she knows.</p><p>She had three best friends when she was younger. She moved to the U.S. from England at around the age of twelve. Natasha Romanoff reminds her of someone—<em>something</em>—else who had red hair and red lips and a white smile who moves like a cat and fights like a god. Tony’s friend Harley reminds her of someone she used to know.</p><p>And…</p><p>There is a sword in her closet.</p><p>It is a crudely made sword, built out of twine and twigs with splinters flaking off if it.</p><p>She probably brought it over from England, but why would she keep a toy sword?</p><p>There are ashes on it.</p><p>It doesn’t look burned</p><p>She remembers that it could have been from the Snap, but how would the ashes come to be on it?</p><p>Her head feels fuzzy when she thinks about it.</p><p>. . .</p><p>She sometimes feels like she’s being watched.</p><p>She doesn’t know by whom, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. doesn’t alert her that there is danger, so she pays it no mind. Everyone has a bit of trauma after the Snap. She’s no different.</p><p>But she never fully shakes the feeling that she is missing something.</p><p>. . .</p><p>She can’t help but think that the Infinity Stones did something more than killing Thanos and bringing everybody back to life. She feels that when Tony snapped, something was taken away from her. But this is a thought process she doesn’t want to continue, so she tries to forget about it.</p><p>Just like everything else.</p><p>. . .</p><p>She is in the lobby of Stark Tower one day. They had bought it back during the Snap and made it double as a shelter and emergency hospital.</p><p>She still has that feeling of being watched, but it has lessened over time. She hears a voice behind her.</p><p>“Hey Pepper,” the voice greets. She turns around and there is a golden, curly haired man with bright blue eyes standing there. He has a British accent and feels old and familiar. “Fancy meeting you here, huh?” Adam smiles.</p><p>She feels the phantom memory of a wooden sword in her grip and flames on her face.</p><p>A smile flits across her face and Pepper takes a deep breath.</p><p>She smells ash.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that is a wrap! It's done! Finally!</p><p>Hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[1]I quoted Star Wars here. I looked up quotes like this and this one fit the best. It’s from “Star Wars Rebels: Hera’s Heroes” (2016) said by Grand Admiral Thrawn.<br/>[2]This shows her controlling nature that she had in her childhood. (Not that she had much of a childhood after what happened.) Allows.<br/>[3]I imagine Nat circling Pepper, eyeing her up and down, almost in a predatory way, while Pepper stands there silently, somehow simultaneously looking tense and relaxed.<br/>[4]Meta: There’s another reason for them to not be included. I have trouble keeping track of that many characters. I’m also hesitant on if I could replicate their characteristics and mannerisms.<br/>[5]Aziraphale got dusted, Crowley didn’t.[6] He helped create the universe, that includes the Infinity Stones. They wouldn’t dare dust him!<br/>[6]What Crowley did during the time people were dust is unknown. However, Pepper suspects that he helped some planets recover, or stayed on Alpha Centauri, or became a time traveler, or became King of Hell.</p><p> </p><p>Remember to like and review! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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